Conservatives take Crete for first time in decades

Among the impressive reversals of the Sunday’s election was Crete, where ruling New Democracy scored a major victory, its first in decades on the island. 

However, on another level, the evidence also suggests that Cretans have not moved as far to the right as the electoral map suggests. 

The percentages indicate that ND came first and that SYRIZA lost a lot. It also showed that PASOK, which dominated the island 15 years ago, appears to be making a comeback.

PASOK took 19% and came in third but with a 2.5-point difference from SYRIZA, which scored 21.5%.

SYRIZA held and retained its lead in urban centers on the island, attributed by local government officials to the fact that a significant part of the population in Rethymno, Iraklio, Hania and Lasithi are civil servants, a section of society in which SYRIZA maintains a significant foothold.